A Chula Vista man was sentenced Monday to 10 years in federal prison for distributing fentanyl with cocaine that caused five people to overdose but were saved due to emergency treatment.
Wearing a tan prison uniform, Joel Rodriguez, 30, apologized to U.S. District Court Judge Anthony Battaglia in San Diego.
“I deeply regret what I’ve done. I’m not a bad person,” said Rodriguez, who added he made some “wrong decisions.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri Walker Hobson said five Alpine residents received cocaine from Rodriguez but they later overdosed from the fentanyl that was also present.
“If you snort it, it goes right into your system,” said Hobson. “This is a real dangerous situation.”
“Buyer beware! These people thought they were using cocaine, not deadly fentanyl,” said U.S. Attorney Robert Brewer in a statement on Monday.
“This is a strong sentence for a dealer who came close to pushing his unwitting customers to the point of no return,” said Brewer.
“Dealers are on notice: We have an unyielding commitment to identify fentanyl dealers in our community in order to save lives,” said Brewer. “And users: Don’t play Russian Roulette with your life.”
Rodriguez’s attorney, Holly Hanover, said “He’s very grateful no one ended up dead.”
Hanover said Rodriguez’s father got him involved in drug smuggling when he was a juvenile. As an adult, Joel Rodriguez worked landscaping in Chula Vista, but he had to quit after undergoing sinus surgery, she said.
Hanover said Rodriguez is “highly motivated” to change his conduct. She said he has a 12-year-old son and he wants to be involved in his son’s life. She asked for a 70-month sentence, but acknowledged with his guilty pleas he is “stuck with maximum minimum” term of 10 years.
Hobson told the judge that Joel Rodriguez should have known about the risks, considering his father was sentenced to 144 months in prison for drug smuggling. His father, Severiano Rodriguez-Quinones was convicted of distributing methamphetamine in 2011 and is believed to still be in prison.
Joel Rodriguez’s residence in Chula Vista was searched in Dec., 2017, and investigators found a digital scale, baggies of drugs, a notebook with names and pay owe sheets, according to records.
After the overdoses, Rodriguez got rid of his cellphone, but one source had Rodriguez’s text messages stored on his phone, according to the sentencing memorandum. The prosecutor said Rodriguez had distinguished code words for cocaine and fentanyl and appeared to warn one person not to confuse the cocaine with the fentanyl.
“These drugs, cocaine and fentanyl are dangerous…and highly addictive,” said the judge, adding “you should have known better.”
Rodriguez pleaded guilty March 1 to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and to possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. He was arrested Dec. 12, 2017, and will get credit for the 19 months he has spent in the Metropolitan Correctional Center.
When he first came into the courtroom, Rodriguez smiled briefly as he saw several female family members in the front row of the audience.
Three of the five Alpine men who overdosed were treated with Nalozone before they were rushed to hospitals. One man who was unconscious on the floor was given a second dose of
Nalozone and he was revived.
“Mr. Rodriguez made the decision to risk the lives of others to make a quick buck,” said Drug Enforcement Administration agent in charge Karen Flowers. “Five people almost lost their lives from the drugs provided by Mr. Rodriguez and countless others were impacted by his decision to traffic cocaine.”
